


Beneath the Beyond

by XxTheDarkLordxX



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Divination, Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, No Angst, Oblivious Draco Malfoy, Shop Owner Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 20:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14221500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxTheDarkLordxX/pseuds/XxTheDarkLordxX
Summary: If you are looking for a charming business with little customer service, look no further. Draco Malfoy, owner of Beneath the Beyond is top notch when it comes to providing exactly what his customers need--an expert in Divination.





	Beneath the Beyond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yarn_yogi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yarn_yogi/gifts).



> This story wasn't originally going to be posted here. It was for the final tumblr giveaway I did. But tumblr is acting up and being a right mess. So, I posted it here as well. This is for @yarn-yogi and it's a bit longer than the 500 word limit. Lol, but that's alright. I can never limit myself anyway. :P
> 
> |Warning| I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. All rights to the characters are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. The only thing is mine is the way I spin the story. It is for entertainment only and not part of the official storyline.

The chime above the door had Draco rushing forward as he tried to pretend he hadn’t just been dozing. He knew before starting his business that it was a niche market and wouldn’t guarantee many customers, but he didn’t think it was going to be _this_ slow.

Divination had always fascinated Draco as a child, it was something he loved to read about and mostly enjoyed learning in school. Trelawney may have been… eccentric… but she wasn’t a bad teacher, no matter how it looked.

When Draco chose to further study Divination it caused a rift with his father, something he always knew would happen. Not that he particularly cared what his father had to say on the matter. Those whose crimes land them in Azkaban get no say in what Draco does with his life.

“Good afternoon,” A man spoke, coming up to the counter, smile more of a nervous tick. “I heard about your store from my neighbour, she’s loopy beyond belief, but I figured it couldn’t hurt—” The man cut off, eyes narrowing in on a sign behind Draco.

“ _Never trust someone in retail who has a nice smile and polite attitude_.” The guy squinted at Draco, unease present.

“Shouldn’t you want to be nice to your customers?” The man asked, brows arching when Draco smirked. The bell chimed, but Draco’s attention was on the customer as the man continued. “Isn’t that the point of working in customer service?”

Before Draco could come up with a retort, a derisive snort had him looking around. His eyes narrowed when he caught sight of his worst patron.

“If you are looking for customer service, don’t hold your breath,” Potter said before placing his elbow on the counter like the plebian commoner he is. “He only has customers because his readings are accurate.”

“Yes, thank you for your astute observation, Potter,” Draco sneered, glaring when Potter grinned cheekily. He turned his attention towards his potential customer and sighed at the wide-eyed awe in the man’s eyes at the sight of Potter. Great.

“I don’t care whether my customers like me. They pay for the merit of my readings, and that’s it. I tolerate them, they tolerate me—it’s a lovely relationship that establishes a horrible sense of rapport but keeps the business going.”

The man looked around the empty shop, nose wrinkled slightly. “And the lack of customers is proof that the business is going well?”

Potter threw his head back, loud laughter filling the shop in ways no crowd ever could. Draco tried to be annoyed by the both of them, but he was distracted by Potter’s presence, like always.

“Don’t let that fool you, Draco _is_ good at what he does.” Potter’s eyes were shining, and Draco hated him for that.

“I wish I could say the same to you,” Draco teased, loving when Potter scowled.

“It wouldn’t kill you to be nice, you know.”

Draco shrugged half-heartedly. “Depends on who it is. If it’s you, then yes, yes it would kill me.”

The customer’s head was moving back and forth watching them in interest.

“I must be delusional too keep coming back here,” Potter grumbled, elbow _still_ on his counter. Honestly, someone needed to teach him proper etiquette. “If it wasn’t for your looks, I would have found somewhere else to go.”

Draco’s mouth dropped open as indignation filled him.

“Plot twist,” The customer whispered, glee taking over his voice. “It would seem your ruggedly handsome face is what pulls in the customers.”

“Ruggedly handsome?” Draco and Potter asked in unison. Draco was flattered, but Potter seemed to be annoyed.

The man shrugged, a grin forming.

“What can I do for you?” Draco asked politely, ignoring Potter’s scoff.

“You can be nice to him, but not me? I see how it is.”

Draco bit his lip to stop from laughing at the petulant expression on Potter’s face. Baiting Potter would never get old.

“Oh, no,” The customer shook his head, hand gesturing towards Potter. “You can go first.” It was clear he was only interested in being entertained.

Draco turned to Potter expectantly, curious to see why he was here.

Potter stood up, _finally_ taking his elbow off the counter. “Do you remember last week when I came in?”

That had Draco rolling his eyes. “Yes. You stayed for over an hour and refused to let me use my full potential. How you expected me to help you without actually using my skills is beyond me.”

Potter fidgeted, hands picking at a pristine robe. “And you know how you told me that sometimes people come in seeking answers to questions they already know, but are too afraid to ask?”

The nervous way Potter glanced at him had Draco straightening up. “Are you telling me you didn’t need my help?”

It wasn’t as if Draco was mad about that. Potter paid him regardless. If the idiot didn’t need any help, then it was more galleons in Draco’s pockets.

“No, I did,” Potter reassured, eyes no longer wavering. “I wanted to make sure, and your advice helped.”

Draco thought back to the session and tried to remember what he had told Potter. It had been clear that Potter was nervous about something during the session.

“I told you that you already knew what you wanted to do and no matter what I said, it wouldn’t change your mind.”

Potter nodded quickly, hair falling in several directions in an attempt to keep up.

“Well, what is it you wanted?”

“You.”

Divination helped with _other_ people. He was able to see glimpses of things if he tried hard enough, but nothing could have prepared him for this. Nothing would have made Potter interested in him as a plausible reality.

All of Potter’s weekly visits began to make sense. The teasing, bickering and small touches. The flirting that didn’t seem like flirting. Truly, it was all blatantly obvious, and he hadn’t bothered taking a second look.

“I am the worst Divination practitioner ever,” Draco complained hands covering his face. How could he not have seen this coming?

“Is that a no?” Potter’s voice was small and already resigned for a rejection.

Draco snapped his head up. “No!” His voice cracked in the rush to explain himself as Potter’s face fell. “No as in it’s not a no. I mean—yes, I want that. I want you too, Potter.”

When Potter smiled, Draco’s breath caught, and he couldn’t look away. At least he couldn’t until a cough had him glaring at their observer.

“I never introduced myself,” The man spoke, wand coming out to summon a small business card. “My name is Barnabas Cuffe.”

Draco groaned, angry that he hadn’t made the distinction earlier. This wasn’t good.

“I am the editor of the Daily Prophet, and I would like to interview you for a new segment on new up and coming businesses in Diagon Alley.”

“Oh, Merlin,” Draco whispered. “This isn’t going to go well.”

Barnabas chuckled. “No worries. You have fascinated me. I would love to include you in the segment. I think your business is just the thing we need around here.”

Against his better judgment, Draco looked to Potter, silently asking his opinion. When Potter nodded encouragingly, Draco sighed.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Beneath the Beyond**

_If you are looking for a charming business with little customer service, look no further. That doesn’t sound promising, but Draco Malfoy, owner of Beneath the Beyond is top notch when it comes to providing exactly what his customers need._

_Mister Malfoy is a Divination practitioner who excels at helping each and every person who enters his shop find the answers they seek. When it comes to Divination, Malfoy doesn’t limit himself to tea leaves and crystal balls._

_When seeking further education, Malfoy mastered Astrology, Cartomancy—card reading, Palmistry, Catoptromancy— the art of Divination done by mirrors, Dream Interpretation, and Ornithomancy—omen reading by observing birds._

_Skepticism has always plagued Divination enthusiasts when it comes to the validity of this kind of magic. When asked for an opinion, Malfoy had this to say,_

**“Divination will never be set in stone. The future is always changing, and never biased. Mistakes of the past hold no weight on the power of the future. What was once true an hour ago, is not always true now, and that is the beauty of Divination.**

**Divination is seeing the possibilities and acknowledging that they can change in just a few seconds. A simple decision can change everything, and that is why Divination is so important. Not because it raises awareness of the future, but because it shows that we all have choices.**

**The choice to ignore the present, the choice to ignore the available options, the choice to see a path and go down a new one, and even the choice to change our minds. I’m not here to tell you that Divination has to be believed, or that I’m never wrong when it comes to what I see. I’m not a seer, nor would I ever claim to be one. I’m here to give people the choice to choose for themselves. I’m giving them another option when all the ones available seem to be blocked.**

**Divination is much more than people think it is.”**

_Well, there you have it, folks. As Mister Malfoy so eloquently put it, there is a lot more to Divination. I only spent a few hours with Malfoy, but it was enough to learn about all kinds of things, including myself._

_I, personally, think that Diagon Alley and the wizarding world needs more shops like this. Malfoy isn’t just spreading the word about Divination, he’s spreading the word about choice, finding yourself, and going beneath the beyond._

_Do yourself a favour and make an extra stop the next time you visit Diagon Alley, I promise you won’t regret it._  


**-Barnabas Cuffe,**  
_Editor for the Daily Prophet_

 

* * *

 

 

Luna smiled as she closed the newspaper. She waved at her neighbour as he left his house for his morning run.

She had _known_ Barnabas would like it. Even Harry had benefited from visiting Draco’s shop. Why did everyone always doubt her?

Perhaps she should see if Draco needed a seer on staff?

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed this. I could see myself making other stories that either follow this plot or have divination in them in some form. All of my stories for this giveaway have included choice in some form. The right to choose, the choice in finding yourself first, the choice in partners, life and just who you are. 
> 
> I loved the theme of that I hadn't originally set out to go by, but I am glad I did. I hoped you liked this. Let me know what you think!
> 
> And as always, I'll see you soon!
> 
> -XxTheDarkLordxX


End file.
